Figures from a football night: the police in Paris registered 68 arrests and 238 injuries around the final of the football Champions League in an expressly “provisional” balance sheet. At 1:20 a.m., police said 68 people had been arrested before, during and after Real Madrid’s 1-0 win with German international Toni Kroos against Liverpool. The injuries were “slight” injuries, the care took place on site. It was not initially known how many of the cases had to do with the massive problems at the entrance to the stadium with the use of tear gas by the police.
Liverpool FC called for clarification that night. The game at the Stade de France near Paris started at 9:36 p.m. on Saturday, 36 minutes later than planned. Fans and observers criticized the organizers.
The European football union Uefa explained the chaos by the high number of fans without valid tickets. The turnstiles at the entrance to Liverpool were blocked because thousands of supporters who had bought counterfeit tickets could not go through them, Uefa said late Saturday evening.
This caused traffic jams. The kick-off was postponed to allow as many fans as possible with tickets to enter. The continental federation expressed sympathy for those affected by the incidents and announced a follow-up with the French police and the French federation.
“We are very disappointed with the stadium access issues and security perimeter collapse experienced by Liverpool fans at the Stade de France tonight,” the English football club said during the game. “We are calling for an official investigation into the causes of these unacceptable problems.” Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said he knew “some of the families had problems. We’ll have to await further investigation to know what happened. Some things were not good and not nice. I don’t know any more.”
First the kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes and then two more times. The organizers initially stated safety reasons on the scoreboard, but then it was said that it was due to the “delayed arrival of fans”. This enraged numerous Liverpool supporters, who reported on social media that they had been waiting in front of the stadium for a long time. Pictures show sometimes chaotic scenes at the entrance and long queues around the arena.
“I’m not sure it’s possible to organize an event worse, even if you try. Absolutely chaotic and dangerous,” tweeted English soccer legend Gary Lineker with Uefa as the addressee. He described the delay as a result of the late arrival of the fans as “bullshit”.
“The organization around and in the stadium is not only unworthy of a Champions League final,” said former professional footballer Marvin Matip, brother of Liverpool’s Joel Matip, on Sky. “Using tear gas in areas with children and bystander fans is dangerous to public health.”
Paris police tweeted in French, English and Spanish that fans should not try to force entry. Home Secretary Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter: “Thousands of British ‘fans’ forced their way in without tickets or with the wrong tickets, sometimes attacking law enforcement.” would have to gain entry.
